This week’s episode is inspired by a fable one of my pastor’s recently posted to Facebook. It’s called “Don’t Argue with a Donkey”, and since it’s about a lion and a donkey, I thought it might be one of Aesop’s fables. I searched the Internet and couldn’t find a proper attribution, but I liked the lesson in the fable, so I wrote an adaptation with a nod to one of Jesus’s parables found in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. The parable ends with a promise that the righteous will shine like the sun.
You might not feel like a very bright light, but even a tiny spark is visible in the darkness. You may think you can’t make a difference in this world. Especially in light of all the noisy negativity that surrounds you. When you feel like your voice of truth is being drowned out, remember this parable of Jesus and understand that you are surrounded by weeds.
Speaking of weeds… here’s the fable I rewrote and now call “Don’t Argue with a Weed.”
The weed said to the wheat, "The grass is blue.”
The wheat replied, "No, the grass is green."
The discussion heated up, and the two held their ground, unbending, disturbing the peace. The weed and the wheat continued their argument until the owner of the field came into view. At once the weed began to shout, “Hey, isn’t it true the grass is blue? The wheat disagrees and annoys me. You should punish him."
The owner declared, "The wheat will be punished with a season of silence."
The weed danced about cheerfully and sang with glee: "The grass is blue. The grass is blue.”
The wheat accepted the owner’s judgment, but asked, “Why have you punished me? After all, the grass is green."
The owner replied, "In fact, the grass is green."
"So why punish me?"
"Your punishment has nothing to do with the color of the grass.” Said the owner. “May your season of silence teach you not to argue with fools who care more about the victory of their beliefs than they care about knowing the truth.”
Every fable has a moral, and the moral of this story is that some people do not have the capacity to understand the truth, no matter how much evidence you present to them. Others do not have the will to accept the truth. Blinded by bigotry, resentment, or pride, they will never allow you to prove them wrong.
I revised the fable to illustrate that Jesus knew what he was doing when he allowed the weeds to grow among the wheat. Please don’t let those weeds distract or discourage you. Whenever you are drawn into an argument that doesn’t make sense, be still. Pray for God’s kingdom to come, and don’t forget that you already shine! You don’t have to wait until the end-time harvest to shine like the sun. You are the light of the world, my friend. So don’t argue with a weed. Instead shine the light of Jesus right where you are planted.
The brightness of your testimony will make the weeds around you whither and the wheat around you multiply.
 
Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com
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This week's scripture: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43